Tornadoes hit New York City; damage reported

UPDATED 7:52 AM EDT Sep 09, 2012

BOSTON -

Heavy rains with winds reaching up to 60 mph moved through southern New England, flooding roads, toppling trees and snapping power lines.

National Weather Service meteorologist Stephanie Dunten said the storm began about 6 p.m. Saturday and continued its barrage over about three hours through western Massachusetts, western Connecticut, and part of New Hampshire.

The game between the Boston Red Sox and Tornto Blue Jays was halted for 58 minutes by pelting rain during the 4th inning and then again for over an hour in the 5th inning.

Some 25,000 concert-goers at Mixfest 2012 on the Esplanade were soaked by the downpours.

"We had an evacuation plan to get people out just in case, but Mother Nature cooperated, and we got the whole show in," said Angelo Tilas of the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Roads flooded in Fall River, Mass., and East Providence, R.I. In Fall River, waters reached up to car windshields and dozens of vehicles stalled out. A daycare center was evacuated and St. Anne's Hospital emergency room flooded.

In New Hampshire, television station WMUR reported 4,000 power outages in that state.

Two tornadoes struck the outer edges of New York City on Saturday, one hitting a beachfront neighborhood and the second, stronger twister striking moments later about 10 miles away, startling residents who once thought of twisters as a Midwestern phenomenon.

Videos taken by bystanders show the funnel cloud hurling sand and debris in the air as it moves through the Breezy Point section of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens on Saturday.

The second hit to the northwest, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn also near the water, about seven minutes later. The National Weather Service said winds were up to 110 miles per hour, and several homes and trees were damaged.

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